Chicago shooting: Friends mourn 14-year-old Pierre Johnson, killed a year later in Fuller Park; suspect charged with shooting at police

CHICAGO (WLS) — It’s been a year since a teenager was killed in a shooting on the city’s South Side. Another teenager was arrested after allegedly firing at Chicago police officers responding to the first shooting.

Although there was a mountain of evidence at the crime scene and around 80 shots were fired by several perpetrators and witnesses present, one year later no one is still in custody for the murder of 14-year-old Pierre Johnson.

Friends, teammates and family gathered Saturday to eat pizza and share memories of Johnson, whose death still leaves a void.

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“I don’t think it ever gets less intense,” said Chris Cozzi, who cared for Johnson. “You know, you get through it better every day.”

Pierre was shot and killed in the 4200 block of South Wells Street while sitting on a neighbor’s porch in the Fuller Park neighborhood on June 1, 2023. Four other people were injured in the shooting.

“I don’t like to think about it,” said Johnson’s friend Josh Martinez. “It’s just hard to think about.”

Johnson lived with his family in Fuller Park, but spent summers and weekends during the school year with Cozzi and her family at their home on the Southwest Side, in part to escape the violence in his neighborhood. His brother had also been the victim of a shooting years earlier.

Before his death, Johnson was a successful baseball player with teammates who were more like brothers to him.

“I feel like something is missing in my heart, you know. It’s sad,” said Johnson’s friend Blake Heyer. “You know, I remember all the good times I had with him, remember how much he meant to us, how much joy it was to be around him.”

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A year later, Johnson’s family is still waiting for justice.

Police had charged a 16-year-old boy with shooting at police officers, but a year later, no one is in custody for Johnson’s murder. His family is still hoping for a turnaround in the case.

“It’s not so much about holding someone accountable and putting them in jail, but about making sure this behavior is denounced and stops because it is as shocking to everyone as it is to us,” Cozzi said.

Cozzi is currently working on starting a nonprofit that will give at-risk youth the opportunity to play baseball. She hopes to name the organization “Pierre’s Way.”

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